3*21700 add much more weight, much bigger, literally the size of 4*18650, but even more weight.
And 21700 does not bring more runtime, just much more amps that go just as fast due to lower resistance for turbo. Unless you don’t want to not use turbo and want to cruise a heavy light at 2000lm, which then simply you wouldn’t carry. Who carries 3*21700 heavy light for the sake of longer runtime at non-turbo levels of 2000lm? For that matter I’d rather carry a single cell light with a low resistance cell
Considering everyone got the lowest resistance cells for single 21700 flashlight, I wouldn’t go and buy some lwoer resiatnc cells just to have more runtime in at lower levels in a heavy light.
I don’t own any 18350s and personally hate the feel of even my GT mini with the tiny 18350 tube. But when I eventually buy this light if the 18350 tube is available, I would always buy the attachment. If you build it, the gadget lovers will come!
I, like many here like gadgets and I’ve personally never been able to resist gadgets that have other gadgets you can attach to your gadgets that make them even more special gadgets.
… extension tube or shorty tube or lantern kit… make it and I at least, will buy all the accessories!
3 parallel 18650’s will easily deliver more current to the 18 emitters than a single 26650, as well as have a LOT more capacity. So while it may technically be feasible to use an 26650 it wouldn’t be ideal.
If this one is made similar to the M43 you could always leave a cell or two out if absolute weight savings were critical. The light’s performance would, of course, be handicapped.
The D18 is pretty small, but it’s also clearly designed to take a lot of heat. It’s very solid. So don’t drop one on your foot. The flashlight will be fine, but I can’t really say the same about the foot.
Mostly, I’m just surprised how well it can tank ~50A (150-200W) of power. It doesn’t get hot quickly, and it seems like it can sustain at least a couple thousand lumens indefinitely without getting too hot.
Hank, maybe there’s room for a bit improvement on your website. Is there any way to include the tracking number when your customers log on into their account on Int’l Outdoor and open up their recent purchase order? I always feel bad about bugging you via e-mail just to ask for the tracking number once my order has been shipped. Maybe this could save you a lot of e-mail replies.
Hank, there are some important things mentioned separately in this thread. I’d like to bring them together because they are actually so closely related…
High-CRI SST-20 variant tends to polarize people. Some love it and some hate it.
The latter really complains about one thing: the tints tend to be green at low currents. Even very green.
I’ll assume for a while that D18 comes with a driver that regulates current at medium and/or low levels. Just like every Emisar so far.
If that medium/low current is split between 18 emitters - SST-20 is likely to become green. Very green.
That can be solved in multiple ways:
change LED to a less green one
there is no real candidate
strive to get least-green tints
is it going to work well?
implement a dual channel driver - use only a single LED at low/medium modes (and PWM it from at least 2A)
likely a major change
hard to get smooth ramp?
don’t regulate current, make a pure FET driver
efficiency suffers
mix LEDs of different CCTs
tint mixing makes combined output rosier. The wider tint difference the larger the effect
since CRI95 SST-20 is available from warmish-neutral to warm - a mix is going to be warm and you won’t be able to offer neutral
CRI of a mixed beam is going to be a little lower
I think that the last option is the least problematic one. TK made more detailed proposal. I support it.
And I suggest combining it with #2.
